1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluorescent dyes and, more specifically, energy transfer fluorescent dyes and their use.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of fluorescent dyes have been developed for labelling and detecting components in a sample. In general, fluorescent dyes preferably have a high quantum yield and a large extinction coefficient so that the dye may be used to detect small quantities of the component being detected. Fluorescent dyes also preferably have a large Stokes shift (i.e., the difference between the wavelength at which the dye has maximum absorbance and the wavelength at which the dye has maximum emission) so that the fluorescent emission is readily distinguished from the light source used to excite the dye.
One class of fluorescent dyes which has been developed is energy transfer fluorescent dyes. In general, energy transfer fluorescent dyes include a donor fluorophore and an acceptor fluorophore. In these dyes, when the donor and acceptor fluorophores are positioned in proximity with each other and with the proper orientation relative to each other, the energy emission from the donor fluorophore is absorbed by the acceptor fluorophore and causes the acceptor fluorophore to fluoresce. It is therefore important that the excited donor fluorophore be able to efficiently absorb the excitation energy of the donor fluorophore and efficiently transfer the energy to the acceptor fluorophore.
A variety of energy transfer fluorescent dyes have been described in the literature. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,143 and WO 95/21266 describe energy transfer fluorescent dyes where the donor and acceptor fluorophores are linked by an oligonucleotide chain. Lee, et al., Nucleic Acids Research 20:10 2471-2483 (1992) describes an energy transfer fluorescent dye which includes 5-carboxy rhodamine linked to 4'-aminomethyl-5-carboxy fluorescein by the 4'-aminomethyl substituent on fluorescein.
Several diagnostic and analytical assays have been developed which involve the detection of multiple components in a sample using fluorescent dyes, e.g. flow cytometry (Lanier, et al., J. Immunol. 132 151-156 (1984)); chromosome analysis (Gray, et al., Chromosoma 73 9-27 (1979)); and DNA sequencing. For these assays, it is desirable to simultaneously employ a set of two or more spectrally resolvable fluorescent dyes so that more than one target substance can be detected in the sample at the same time. Simultaneous detection of multiple components in a sample using multiple dyes reduces the time required to serially detect individual components in a sample. In the case of multi-loci DNA probe assays, the use of multiple spectrally resolvable fluorescent dyes reduces the number of reaction tubes that are needed, thereby simplifying the experimental protocols and facilitating the manufacturing of application-specific kits. In the case of automated DNA sequencing, the use of multiple spectrally resolvable fluorescent dyes allows for the analysis of all four bases in a single lane thereby increasing throughput over single-color methods and eliminating uncertainties associated with inter-lane electrophoretic mobility variations. Connell, et al., Biotechniques 5 342-348 (1987); Prober, et al., Science 238 336-341 (1987), Smith, et al., Nature 321 674-679 (1986); and Ansorge, et al., Nucleic Acids Research 15 4593-4602 (1989).
There are several difficulties associated with obtaining a set of fluorescent dyes for simultaneously detecting multiple target substances in a sample, particularly for analyses requiring an electrophoretic separation and treatment with enzymes, e.g., DNA sequencing. For example, each dye in the set must be spectrally resolvable from the other dyes. It is difficult to find a collection of dyes whose emission spectra are spectrally resolved, since the typical emission band half-width for organic fluorescent dyes is about 40-80 nanometers (nm) and the width of the available spectrum is limited by the excitation light source. As used herein the term "spectral resolution" in reference to a set of dyes means that the fluorescent emission bands of the dyes are sufficiently distinct, i.e., sufficiently non-overlapping, that reagents to which the respective dyes are attached, e.g. polynucleotides, can be distinguished on the basis of the fluorescent signal generated by the respective dyes using standard photodetection systems, e.g. employing a system of band pass filters and photomultiplier tubes, charged-coupled devices and spectrographs, or the like, as exemplified by the systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,230,558, 4,811,218, or in Wheeless et al, pgs. 21-76, in Flow Cytometry: Instrumentation and Data Analysis (Academic Press, N.Y., 1985).
The fluorescent signal of each of the dyes must also be sufficiently strong so that each component can be detected with sufficient sensitivity. For example, in the case of DNA sequencing, increased sample loading can not compensate for low fluorescence efficiencies, Pringle et al., DNA Core Facilities Newsletter, 1 15-21 (1988). The fluorescent signal generated by a dye is generally greatest when the dye is excited at its absorbance maximum. It is therefore preferred that each dye be excited at about its absorbance maximum.
A further difficulty associated with the use of a set of dyes is that the dyes generally do not have the same absorbance maximum. When a set of dyes are used which do not have the same absorbance maximum, a trade off is created between the higher cost associated with providing multiple light sources to excite each dye at its absorbance maximum, and the lower sensitivity arising from each dye not being excited at its absorbance maximum.
In addition to the above difficulties, the charge, molecular size, and conformation of the dyes must not adversely affect the electrophoretic mobilities of the fragments. The fluorescent dyes must also be compatible with the chemistry used to create or manipulate the fragments, e.g., DNA synthesis solvents and reagents, buffers, polymerase enzymes, ligase enzymes, and the like.
Energy transfer fluorescent dyes possess several features which make them attractive for use in the simultaneous detection of multiple target substances in a sample, such as in DNA sequencing. For example, a single donor fluorophore can be used in a set of energy transfer fluorescent dyes so that each dye has strong absorption at a common wavelength. Then, by varying the acceptor fluorophore in the energy transfer dye, a series of energy transfer dyes having spectrally resolvable fluorescence emissions can be generated.
Energy transfer fluorescent dyes also provide a larger effective Stokes shift than non-energy transfer fluorescent dyes. This is because the Stokes shift for an energy transfer fluorescent dye is based on the difference between the wavelength at which the donor fluorophore maximally absorbs light and the wavelength at which the acceptor fluorophore maximally emits light. In general, a need exists for fluorescent dyes having larger Stokes shifts.
The sensitivity of any assay using a fluorescent dye is dependent on the strength of the fluorescent signal generated by the fluorescent dye. A need therefore exists for fluorescent dyes which have a strong fluorescence signal. With regard to energy transfer fluorescent dyes, the fluorescence signal strength of these dyes is dependent on how efficiently the acceptor fluorophore absorbs the energy emission of the donor fluorophore. This, in turn, depends on a variety of variables, including the proximity of the donor fluorophore to the acceptor fluorophore and the orientation of the donor fluorophore relative to the acceptor fluorophore. A need therefore exists for energy transfer fluorescent dyes in which the orientation between the donor and acceptor fluorophore is such that energy is efficiently transferred between the donor and acceptor fluorophore.